Together Forever
by Dragon with a Shotgun
Summary: When Tsume dies, another death soon follows. But it is a young life that has already lost her mother and has not yet lived much of her own life, so he is all she has left. It may be the end for their lives, but their souls still live on in Paradise, together with no sadness or loss. Just happiness and friendship.


**Tsume's Death**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**I dunno… I've had terrible Writer's Block lately so… I've been watching Wolf's Rain some, and had to write a small, if not a little bit sad, story. I'm not depressed or anything, I just wanted to write it. It contains my two OCs. If I'm wrong about something or I messed up or something, let me know please. I haven't watched the anime much, so I can only go by imagination and some background information. Only thing I own is my characters and story. Everything else belongs to their rightful owners.**

**Together Forever**

"_Let's meet again… next time… in Paradise…" _

She had that painful dread building up in her heart, hot and terrified tears pricked her golden eyes as she raced towards where she heard the ear-piercing howl that was filled with exhaustion and sadness. She wished that it wasn't him, had hoped that it wasn't him. But she knew the sound of Tsume's howl, as if it was carved into her memory. It was so familiar, and whenever he sometimes howled at the moon for her it'd comfort her. But this time… it made her heart ache and chills run down her body. Her paws hit the ground as she quickly ran towards the direction of where Tsume was possibly at. She hadn't seen everything that had gone on, for being a pup younger than Toboe had been, she was much slower. Her shorter legs were tiring, aching, screaming to rest. But she refused to stop, she refused to allow any more time to get between her and Tsume.

A small bark erupted from her, one that she desperately hoped that he'd reply to. But she heard nothing. Only the sound of the fading paw steps in the distance, Kiba running up the mountainside after Darcia with his back to her. She began to panic. Where was Tsume? Her light, cream-colored fur ruffled as she skidded across the dust, hitting her side on the ground before she scrambled to her paws. In her human shape, which was of a ten year-old, her long blonde hair hung over her shoulders, and her purple shirt and skirt were stained by faint blood from previous encounters with humans and other wolves. The large gash running down her flank stung terribly, making her limp heavily as she ran. Her hazel eyes searched frantically for the larger, silver-haired man that she knew. But instead, she saw the grey mass of fur lying in the dust, crimson blood flowing down the rocks and dirt down the slope. At first glimpse her heart jumped in relief to know that she had found him, but the sharp, tangy scent hit her nose and made it wiggle, and in her wolf form again her ears flattened and her tail lowered.

"T-Tsume…?" she whimpered, her head lowered and she began to creep forward timidly. She was scared to see what mess he was, to see how bad his wounds were from the front. There was a lot of blood, too much.

For a while, there was no movement, only the ruffling of his fur in the small breeze. If he was breathing, she couldn't tell. He was so still, so lifeless-looking that she began to cry already believing that he was already gone, dead. She padded around him, sniffing at him, trying to pick up any sign that he was still alive. She could feel his warmth radiating off of him, see the gashes all over his body, the bite marks that covered him. She peered around to look at his face. His jaw hung open a little, showing his teeth and his tongue touching the ground barely. His eyes were closed.

"Tsume?" she tried again, her voice cracking. She sobbed, feeling her four legs growing shaky as she tried to keep herself balanced. No… no, no, no… this couldn't have been happening… Only some time ago were sitting under the stars, talking and laughing about things that were totally random. How could this happen in such a short time? Why did it have to happen this way?

"A-Aki…ko…" The voice was soft, quiet like a raspy whisper. Her ears shot up and she looked at his face. His eyes were just barely open, glistening and cloudy. His jaw was shut more, his eyes staring at her almost in sadness.

She crawled to his side, her chin almost touching the ground as she crouched, her tail tucked and her eyes filled with dread and fear. Tsume gazed at her calmly. His body was in pain, but it was a numb feeling, like it was fading away. He couldn't move his body, like he had no control over it anymore. But he could tilt his head slightly to look at the young pup that was staring back at him with frightened eyes. He could feel his heart slowing, beating softly to remind him that he only had moments to tell her what he needed to before he left. He wished he could tell her a thousand words, tell her how he felt. He loved her, like an older brother. He knew that he rejected her before, but… he knew now that he loved her. He'd protect her if he could, but… he knew that he couldn't do anything anymore. She was so young, and without the protection or attention of an adult, she would perish. He liked to think that Kiba would survive against Darcia, so he could look after her. But he knew that it was a slim chance.

"Akiko… D-don't worry about m-me… I'll be fine… Okay?" he spoke through a breath, watching as many emotions flickered over her sweet little face.

She shook her head frantically. "But you are hurt! Maybe… maybe…"

He smiled, faintly, but she saw how loving it was meant as. "No… there's n-nothing you can do. Don't try to s-save me." She clenched her eyes shut, lowering her head and crying. His heart wanted to beat faster, for the fear of leaving her. He didn't want to leave her. He wasn't going to lie. He was scared to leave, to leave her on her own to defend herself. But… something told him that it wouldn't be too long before they saw each other again, it was one of the gut feelings.

"But… Tsume…" she sobbed, and she crawled to him. Nuzzling her nose under his leg and curling up against his chest so that her nose was pressed against the large, pale, pink scar, she buried her muzzle in his fur. She breathed in his lingering scent, listening to his slowing heartbeat. Her throat tightened, and she could feel him try to wrap a paw around her. But he couldn't… as he could feel his body falling stiller.

"Don't go…" she whined softly.

His eyes lowered to gaze down at her. Tears of his own began to water up in the corners of his eyes. He took in a shaky breath, trying his best to stay with her for as long as he could. But he could feel the darkness coming in, trying to coax him into falling asleep. He was tempted to fall asleep, to feel the soothing warmth of peace. But in the back of his mind he was desperate to cling to whatever life still remained in his body.

"Heh… I know… I never told you this… but… I love you… Akiko…" he whispered, giving her one last smile, a sincere smile that showed no regret and no sadness. Yes, there was some dread, because he didn't want to leave her, but he knew that everything would be alright.

Her eyes widened and she scooted closer to his face, licking his chin to keep him awake. "No… please… Tsume, don't l-leave me! Tsume!" But his eyes began to close, the life beginning to drain away from his body. His rising and falling chest was becoming less seen, and his head began to tilt to the side as his body began to shut down. His heartbeat began to slow to a thump every now and then, and then to silence. His eyes closed, and one last breath was released from his body before everything went still, no noise, no movement.

Akiko stared at him for a moment, mentally hoping that by some miracle he'd come back. But nothing happened in the next few minutes. Finally, minute after minute, it began to sink in in her mind. She could feel the warmth of his body beginning to fade, and she shivered and huddled closer to his fur. He was gone… Tsume was… dead… tears began to pour from her golden eyes, and she shoved her nose into the soft fur on his chest, nuzzling the scar that lay as proof that he'd gone through a hard life. The wind began to pick up, and she cried into his fur. He was gone… she couldn't believe he was gone… Her chest tightened and she began to sob, almost scream into his fur to beg him to come back. She begged long and hard for him to come back. Why did he have to go? Why now…? Her tail tucked around her flank, she allowed herself to grieve. She allowed herself to be afraid, to be scared of everything again. She no longer had her protector. She was alone…

A long time of grief and loss had passed before she suddenly began to grow tired. Her eyelids began to droop, her ears flattening and her head leaning to the side as she began to feel so sleepy. Maybe a nap would be okay… maybe it would give her the strength to move on. No… she wouldn't move. She wouldn't leave him. Not all alone in the cold. She didn't care if she starved or got too cold. She would stay until she died if she had to. So she let herself fall asleep, let herself be comforted by the warmth of sleep. Maybe Kiba would find her later… maybe he'd stay with her…

_What seemed only like a few minutes later, the world had become dark. She felt so warm, so calm. Wind brushed her fur, and she felt something tickling her nose, so she opened her eyes to see what it was. But then there was light, so bright and blinding and she blinked to clear her eyes. Then she lifted her head, looking around in a daze almost. Her eyes were half closed at first, still a little sleepy before she pawed at her face, yawning and shaking her head. She looked down at the blade of grass that flicked in the wind between her paws, so green and lush that it looked beautiful even being only a blade of simple grass. There was the sound of water, the smell of salt and a sweet aroma that soothed her. Her ears perked at all the sounds, the wind and water, the grass brushing in the wind. The scents were so fresh, so alive that she was comforted by them. But then she looked around, and suddenly realized that Tsume's body wasn't beside her anymore. _

_She yawned again, looking around at her surroundings. Lying in the lush, tall, green grass, it looked like she was in a forest, and she blinked curiously at the world around her. There was a beach, with pretty white sand on the bank as the water washed up over the land before returning back to the rest of the sea. The large field that was next to it, which she was at the edge of, was filled with lush green grass and white flowers, large hills everywhere one looked. The sky was light blue, wonderful weather and such happiness and life to the world, much different from the cold and dying world where she was just at. Maybe this was a dream? It was a good one, a sweet one that she wished would never end. She then began to feel tired again, and she sighed and laid her head back down on her paws. Maybe a nap would wake her up a bit and she'd be able to explore later._

"_Akiko," _

_She tilted her head barely to the side, her eyes still closed. She could have sworn the voice was familiar. But she was too tired to look up, so she remained lying with her paws tucked over her muzzle. But then she felt a soothing rubbing on her head. The feeling was so familiar, so soft. She opened her eyes to see a wolf licking at her ears gently, trying to wake her up. The familiar wolf, with tan fur and soft yellow eyes. She smiled down at her from a few feet away from her, the warm breeze ruffling her fur and the light giving her body a new life that she had never seen her have so much of. The wolf almost glowed from happiness, from joy. She looked like she had never been through anything bad in her life, no tragedy, no sadness showed in her features. She seemed like a whole new person, a whole new wolf._

_Her mother, Harumi. But… her mother had died, sacrificing her own life some days before when some humans tried to kill them._

_She then knew where she was. Paradise… this had to be the place, where they all had been searching for. Joy began to fill her, and her tail wagged as she instantly sat up. She licked at her mother's muzzle, receiving gentle nuzzles and happy licks. She couldn't believe it. She was back with her mother. _

"_Momma, are we in Paradise?" the young pup asked, looking up with such happy eyes as her tail swayed back and forth in the grass. _

_Harumi smiled gently down at her pup and nodded in reply. "Yes, young one. This is the place we've been looking for."_

_Akiko smiled, happy that finally she was where she was supposed to be, with her mother. But her mother then had a new look in her eyes, a smile appearing on her muzzle as she lifted her head and looked over at a tall hill not too far away. Akiko, curious as to what she was looking at, turned her head to look. Then, her eyes widened. _

_Tsume smiled down at them from the hill, his fur ruffling in the wind. He looked healthy and calm, not like when he had died. There were no wounds, and even his scar on his chest was gone. She looked up at her mother, and she smiled and nudged her. Her happiness couldn't be contained within her, and she laughed loudly and ran toward him. She bounded through the tall grass, the white Lunar flowers brushing against her sides and flank, where all wounds were now gone. She wasn't limping, wasn't hurting, wasn't sad or frightened. Only happiness remained, and joy to see her friend again. _

_She bounced up to him, rearing up on her back feet as he lowered his head. He bounded with her, sprawling out his front paws and wagging his tail in play. She licked his nose, him nuzzling her and licking her ears before turning away and running. They bounded through the grass, running towards the beach and playing in the water like pups. Well, Akiko was a pup. But Tsume was so full of energy that he had to let it out somehow. Tsume had woken up in this same place only a little while ago, and he knew where he was automatically. He was happy to be here, but his happiness only grew when he found his friend, Harumi, nearby and now that Akiko was with him again. He knew how the pup had passed. Greif had taken over, and she faded away. But, he knew they were better off this way, in a better place where there was no grief or fear, no sadness or anger. _

"_Tsume?" she finally said as they walked side by side through the field. _

_He looked down at her. She only reached his elbow, such a small pup. She looked up at him with such curious and bright eyes that he smiled as he gazed down at her. "Yeah?"_

"_Are we going to stay here forever? Is this our home now?" she asked, and he stopped and looked up. They were on a large hill with grass, looking out at the far sea, the beach down below. The wind was stronger here, fresher and such a relief to breathe in. Harumi had finally caught up, smiling at the two of them as she approached, her tail wagging when Akiko nuzzled her leg. He smiled, and he was silent for a long while before he answered._

"_Yes. Are you okay with that?" he replied, lowering his head to look her in the eyes._

_She smiled and sat down, wagging her tail and looking up at him with her happy eyes. "Yes! I like it here. Um… Tsume?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Is Toboe and the others here, too?" She tilted her head at him in a curious way as she looked up at Tsume and her mother, and hey then turned their heads to look back over their shoulders. She followed their gaze, and smiled in joy when she saw two wolves, Hige and Blue. They smiled and ran up the hill, catching up with the two adults and pup and happily exchanging licks and happy nuzzles. Toboe was soon there as well, having been with his old lady and finding his friends. They all were happy once again, and were all together forever. _

_They couldn't think of a better outcome of everything. Now, they would wait until Kiba joined them, and they'd be a family once again. _


End file.
